Drmeš iz Zdenčine

Drmeš iz Zdenčine, expertly-translated as Drmeš from Zdenčina, is typical of what used to be common in every village in northwestern Croatia. Each village would have their own version of the dance, but the common element would be the drmeš step where dancers are “shaking in their boots.” No, it’s not some scary ritual, it a dance move that screams “Croatia!” Of course, no one in Zdenčina would call the dance, “Drmeš iz Zdenčine,” they would just call it “Drmeš,” as would have been the case for a drmeš done in any other Croatian village. However, “Drmeš iz Zdenčine” actually combines parts from a couple of dances and villages for your international folk dancing pleasure.

Dick Crum says that the drmeš, or shaking dance, is the most typical dance form in the northwestern part of Croatia. Drmeši are rarely danced today, except at weddings or other celebrations, and usually only by older dancers, dancing as couples or in small circles of three or four. Otherwise, the drmeš is usually only seen when performed by amateur dance groups who may select a tune and some movements culled from the older dancers for presentation to audiences as living museum pieces. Sometimes, groups from adjacent villages will select different movements and sequences for a particular melody common to both, giving rise to what puzzled American folk dancers sometimes think of as conflicting versions of the same dance. Drmeš iz Zdenčine is one such dance that has undergone this preservative process.

© Dick Oakes, 2018

The Dance

Some groups, and dance notes, dance Part 2, aka Part 1-b, as a bounce step rather than a shaking step. This divergence seems to have come from an AMAN variant of the original Dick Crum version. It depends on whether your group is more into small shaking steps or big bouncy things.